CHILE - 4 days, 4 nights, 1 lousy post

Four days in Chile, and I made the most of them. We arrived first in Viña del Mar, famous for its beautiful Pacific beaches, though the clouds and cold weather put a damper on our sunbathing plans. Without a whole lot else to do, we headed to the mall. To my disappointment, it was exactly like the malls back home, with some of the same stores and even two Dunkin´ Donuts´! In addition, Chile is very expensive compared to what we were used to, so prices were just like home, too. We made the best of it, eating some hard-to-find familiar food and going bowling.

Our alojamiento (rented apartment) was a nice treat, overlooking a canal and down to the ocean. We spent two nights and left the next day for the neighboring town of Valparaíso. By the time we got there it was sunny, so its a bit hard to compare the twin cities, but we loved Valparaíso. It was also on the water, though it is more of a port town with a lot of ship activity coming in and out of the harbor.

I was happy to learn that Valparaíso was also one of the home towns of the famous poet Pablo Neruda! Amanda and I went on a tour of his home, one of three in his home country of Chile. Pablo Neruda was known worldwide for his poetry during his life in the past century. If you are familiar with the film "Il Postino" (the Postman), Neruda is the poet featured in this movie. His home was very cool, with gorgeous views of the ocean and hillside homes, colorful rooms, and beautiful artistic furniture. Here is the man himself:

The streets of Valparaíso were very European in feel, with narrow, winding cobblestone streets and painted houses in a variety of colors. Our accommodations here were also different from usual, we stayed in an hospedaje, which is like renting a room in someone´s home. It was a really cool. Here is a street scene from Valparaíso:

I should mention that our night in Valparaíso was also my last night with Amanda and Jeff. We celebrated our time together by going to a bar that played only the best (which also means worst) of the 80´s, videos included (they LOVE their 80´s in South America, this has been a constant throughout the trip). I had a bit too much to drink and we all had a good time. Two broken glasses later, we went to bed to get up early the next day for our bus ride to Santiago, the capital of Chile. We´d heard mixed reviews of Santiago, though probably more nay than yay for the city. We figured one full day there should be enough. I found the city surprisingly nice, considering my expectations were not that high. It definitely felt like a huge city, it was very fast-paced and there was far too much smog. One great aspect of the city was a beautiful park that was great for walking and viewing the city (and for the high school kids to make out). We also visited a pedestrian road with lots of shopping and street performances, though I had the misfortune of being pick-pocketed here, with someone taking my phone right from my bag, I assume while I was walking (I´m always very careful). I guess now I have my pick-pocket story. I left Amanda and Jeff at the bus station that night with a sad good-bye (see ya later freaks! - kidding, I love you!). They spent more time in Chile while I headed out of the country which was creating a hole in my pocket. I took an overnight bus and spent a morning in another port town of Puerto Montt, along a bay of Chile further south. It was Sunday so everything was closed, but by walking around I found the town had a very quaint and somewhat New England feel. The bus ride from Puerto Montt definitely brought me through familiar New England-type woods. I am writing now from Camden, Maine....or is it North Conway, NH? Wait, let me check my passport..... Bariloche, Argentina?!?! You could have fooled me. This town does in fact feel like a quaint New England destination, though with its own unique charm. It is nestled in a national park, with lots of hiking and other free outdoor activities. I took a stroll around the lake with a girl from Iowa named Jen I met in my hostel, and we met up with a nice Australian couple later for a not-so-nice dinner. The previous night, there was a tango festival, so I got to see live tango dancers! There are tons of nice shops here and lots to do. Bariloche is considered a gateway to Patagonia, as it is in the north of Patagonia. I really wanted to head south to view the most famous glacier of Patagonia, and this morning I learned that the only way I could still do this, given my tight schedule, was to leave Bariloche....right NOW. I am writing from the airport, waiting for my flight which is a bit delayed, but it is the only way I can get there and still go to the other places I want to visit.... (((((TIME LAPSE))))) I´ve been on the go so much I can´t seem to finish this blog entry! I hopped the last-minute flight to El Calafate in the South of Patagonia to see the famous Moreno glacier. I actually made it! I´ll write more about Patagonia later.